Industrial processes account for 25% of total EU
CO2 emissions, and moreover, they are
already operating at or close to the theoretical
limits of efficiency. Therefore, CO2
capture and storage is the only technology that
can deliver the required emission reductions (EU
2050 targets). However, current capture
technologies based on amine-based absorption
have a significant energy penalty. One promising
future technology is the use of solid
adsorbents, which require 30-50% less energy
than the MEA-based absorption process.

In this project, we will work in collaboration
with Heriot-Watt University and Sheffield
University to develop, test and optimize novel
Hydrotalcite sorbents for use in industrial
carbon capture. At Newcastle University, we will
use 3D printing to enable to rapid manufacture
and testing of a series of different fluidized
bed to screen various sorbents developed by our
collaborators. It is envisaged that micro-fluidised
beds will be used for initial screening, before
scale-up to pilot scale towards the end of the
project. There is also the possibility to study
heat and mass transfer enhancement using
intensified beds such as the Toroidal fluidized
bed.

There are 3 PhD projects available in this area:

Development of micro-beds for
rapid sorbent screening. This
will include the study of wall
effects and bed scale-up towards
pilot scale. (Experimental
project)

Development of intensified
fluidized beds for the carbon
capture process, including
toroidal and centrifugal
fluidized beds. (Experimental
project)

Development of CFD-DEM (or
similar) models to aid the
design and optimization of
intensified fluidized beds for
the carbon capture process.
(Computational project with some
experimental validation).

Unfortunately, we do not have funding to offer
PhD studentships in this area. However, this
work will contribute towards an ongoing EPSRC
project in this area which has a substantial
materials and equipment budget.